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Israel seizes control of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing point

Before the offensive began, Israel ordered the evacuation of some 100,000 inhabitants to a "safe area" near Khan Younis 

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El humo se eleva tras el bombardeo israelí en Rafah, en el sur de la Franja de Gaza, el 27 de marzo de 2024 - SAID KHATIB/AFP
Smoke rises after Israeli shelling in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 27 March 2024 - SAID KHATIB / AFP
Margarita Arredondas
07/05/24

After a night of air strikes on Rafah, the Israel Defense Forces have taken control of the Gaza side of the border crossing with Egypt. For the first time since the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, the IDF controls this important point, which is key to the entry of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave. 

This comes amid new negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza that also includes the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and other terrorist groups since 7 October.  

Hamas announced on Monday night, before Israel began its offensive in Rafah, that it accepted the truce proposal presented by the mediators, but Jerusalem stressed that the terrorist group's offer did not meet its demands, giving the green light to the military operation in Rafah.   

The Hamas-approved proposal was a watered-down version of an Egyptian offer and included elements that Israel could not accept, an Israeli official told Reuters. "This appears to be a ruse designed to make Israel look like the party rejecting a deal," he said. 

Separately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the war cabinet unanimously decided to go ahead with the IDF operation in Rafah "to apply military pressure on Hamas with the aim of advancing the release of hostages and other war aims". 

This operation, according to the Israeli military, is based on "targeted strikes" against Hamas in eastern Rafah, which is considered the last stronghold of the terrorist group. However, this town in the south of the enclave is also the refuge of thousands of Gazans from other areas of the territory who have fled the fighting.  

For this reason, and because of the serious humanitarian crisis it could trigger, the international community - especially the US - has pressured Israel not to launch a military operation in Rafah.   

Before the offensive began, Israel issued evacuation orders for some 100,000 Gazans in parts of eastern Rafah, who were urged to move to a 'safe area' near Khan Younis. 

Netanyahu has been promising for months an operation in Rafah to eliminate the last Hamas strongholds. According to Israeli defence officials, four of the terrorist group's six remaining battalions are in the city, as well as the group's leaders and a significant number of hostages. In fact, last February, Israeli troops managed to rescue two citizens held in Rafah since 7 October.  

While the war cabinet vows to achieve its war aims and end Hamas, the hostages' families and the opposition take to the streets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to demonstrate for a ceasefire that would allow the release of the hostages. 

Tags:
Gaza Israel War
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